The 2023 Running Baseball Thread

I don't think that was ever suggested.

 

Completely different game. Might as well compare it to the 1880s.

 

But not Texas in 1880 ...

 

Radney!

 

I give you the Dallas Hams, ca 1880s.



Texas League Champions.

 

And the corollary: How many runs did a caught stealing cost you? (How many more would you have scored if the guy hadn’t tried to steal?)
My guess is that the size of the bases isn’t as important as the rule limiting throws to first.

 

Pretty cool. At least seven of those players pictured in 1888 made the majors, including manager Charlie Levis, Ducky Hemp, Pat Whitaker, Jack Wentz, "Voiceless" Tim O'Rourke, John Fogarty and Doug Crothers. I guess eight, since Art Sunday played in the Players League for one season.

According to the blurb on BB-ref, Art Sunday was partially responsible for the term Texas Leaguer, after he and Bill Joyce had back-to-back bloop hits when called up to Toledo from the Houston TL team. He died of his burns in 1926 fighting a wildfire as a forest ranger. Real name: Art Hawker.

 

Gonna guess that Fogarty played center field.

 

His two major league games -- for the 1885 Saint Louis Maroons -- were in left. He hit the ball (once in eight at-bats) and touched 'em all (scored once) for his moment in the sun.

 

Was he cold?

 

The value in a stolen base depends on the run environment. The more likely a guy is to get a hit, the more likely it will be a double or home run, the less value a stolen base has because of the lost out. In the high scoring environments of the last 25 years, stolen base percentage break even was around 80%. The changes have made that figure easier to reach.

But acknowledging all that, you have to bring that analysis to the team and situation. Maybe Acuna running that much didn't add a lot of value because the team hit so well. He was well above the general break even, but there are a bunch of other questions to determine the value of Acuna's steals.

 

There's no quantification of this, it's just my opinion formed from watching baseball for a long time is that the impact of a known base stealer on pitchers and especially on the infielders is very real. The more the pitcher worries about the guy on first, the less he's worrying about the guy at the plate who can really hurt him. Again IMO, by making stealing easier, it mihgt make some of the more tough-minded pitchers more effective. Let Acuna steal second, I'm not thinking about anyone but Olson here.